2001 Babes of the Month

If you're a frequent reader of 5.0 Mustang & Super Fords, you know all about our Babe of the Month feature. (If you're not a frequent reader, maybe this will make you one!) The basic idea is that we publish one reader-submitted photo in the Finish Line section on the last editorial page of each issue. Ostensibly, we're featuring the car as well as the young lady. And, ostensibly, we're chock full of editorial integrity. Some of us even know what "ostensibly" means.

January 2001: Desiree

A blonde babe plus red Mustang equals good luck in our book. Desiree, the 20-year-old blonde, isn't the only one in the photo with all the right bolt-ons. Russell Schumacher of Santa Rosa, California, has outfitted the red '92 GT with a litany of performance goodies as well. They include a Vortech S-Trim supercharger (good for 14 psi), a Trick Flow intake, a Tremec five-speed, and T-bird rear disc brakes. Russell reports he successfully runs 14 psi on the stock 100,000-mile short-block and drives the GT on his 60-mile commute every weekday. Apparently, getting Desiree to pose in front of his car isn't his only stroke of good luck.

February 2001: Ashley

Are those things real? Well we got out the magnifying glass, and all we can say is they have the right center caps. Sure, '95 Mustang Cobra Rs didn't come equipped with chrome wheels, but you can buy the genuine article from Ford Racing Performance Parts in chrome. The car so equipped is a '94 Mustang owned by Matt Osborne. The Tallahassee, Florida, resident bolted on a few other choice parts, including GT-40P heads, a B303 cam, 24 lb/hr injectors, 1-5/8-inch short-tube headers, and a Steeda Tri-Ax shifter. For those scoring at home, the lovely lady in the bikini and navel ring is Matt's girlfriend, Ashley. And, yes, you do wish you could have seen the other pictures Matt sent in. Thanks, Matt!

She didn't tell us her marital status, but we have a feeling Stephanie Krupa is going to get some proposals from this. Of course, she's the beauty atop the yellow '98 Mustang Cobra. I've got a soft spot for yellow '98 Cobras, and babes for that matter, but the kicker is-drumroll please-it's her Cobra. She's no model next to her boyfriend's car. This Cobra is her toy. With the help of P and J Speed Shop she has added a Kenne Bell supercharger, a Bassani X-pipe, and ARE wheels with BFGoodrich meats. With 14 pounds of boost, this Cobra rolled up 420 hp and 470 lb-ft of torque on P and J's Dynojet. "So watch out, guys, when you pull up next to me, you'll be surprised," Stephanie wrote. Are you guys in love yet?

April 2001: Bethany

Our loyal BOTM followers never fail to impress us with the lengths they'll go to get their cars and babes in Finish Line. This month's anonymous reader sent us this and several other shots of his girl, Bethany, in various states of undress. So, you guessed it, they jumped to the head of the BOTM class this month. Apparently, he couldn't get her to smile in the photos, even though she was getting up close and personal with his sweet '96 GT. In the theme of his photos, Mr. X from Westland, Michigan, cut his list of modifications down to the "bare necessities." The GT's goodies include an FRPP intake, FRPP heads ported by Sean Hyland Motorsport, SHM camshafts, and a 125 shot of nitrous. Does Bethany at least smile when you hit the nitrous?

May 2001: Angela

Easy fellas. It's too cold to go to New Jersey right now. But if you do go up there and catch cold, this month's BOTM Angela Lupiano is a nurse, so she could surely bring you back to good health. However, you'll have to contend with Angela's boyfriend, Matt DeCillis. That's his car she's leaning on. You can refer to page 160 of this issue for the goods on Matt's car. Angela's gonna be upset with us because we didn't run the photo of her car. It's a 2000 GT with a shifter and Flowmasters. She runs 13s in it, which should be quick enough to outrun most of the potential suitors in South Plainfield, New Jersey.

How's this for a feat? Allan Shang was able to talk his child's babysitter, Laura Taylor (left), and her friend Karen Franks to pose with his '99 Cobra convertible. He had to let Laura borrow the car for a weekend, but we can appreciate the lengths 5.0&SF readers will go to keep us in Babe of the Month photos. Now if we can get you to stop thinking about two chicks and a convertible for a minute, Alan would like you to know that in addition to the girls, his Cobra wears a K&N air filter, a MagnaFlow after-cat exhaust, and a Steeda Tri-Ax shifter. Good work, Alan. We hope your wife didn't finish cleaning the shotgun until after you were done with the photo shoot.

July 2001: Kari & Julie

Just when our files were starting to run low on quality BOTM material, Michael Hart of Glendale, Arizona, sent in a couple of ringers. The blonde on the left is his wife, Kari, and the brunette is their "girlfriend" Julie. Way to go, Michael! As for the '91 GT hiding in the background, it sports a K&N filter, Eibach lowering springs, 17-inch BBS wheels, Michelin rubber, a Cobra intake, a Flowmaster exhaust, and one happy driver.

August 2001: Jo

We're sure all of you recognize Doug Mangrum's wicked Pro 5.0 Mustang. Doug's ProCharged Liberty five-speed combination was the first Pro 5.0 in the sixes. Who you might not recognize is Doug's wife, Jo. We were used to seeing her in a crew uniform knee-deep in Doug's transmission, making between-round repairs. We knew Jo was a lovely gal, but when we got these photos, all we could say was "Wow!" Go get 'em, Doug. Jo says Doug's car will see some changes this year, in addition to some new sponsors, but we just hope this is a preview of the new Team Mangrum crew uniform.

September 2001: Margaret

For all the gals complaining about shots of babes with their boyfriends' cars, Margaret "Pinky" Jimenez of Miami, Florida, sent us this pic of her LX coupe. Obviously, Margaret likes pink, as evidenced by the bikini and the scarf on the antenna. What doesn't show up behind Margaret is the Pink Pearl paint mixed into the Oxford White. Don't think Margaret is all about showing off, however. Most of her Miami vices an E303 cam, ported heads, cold-air induction, a 2-1/2-inch exhaust, a larger mass air, and more are hidden under the hood. By the way, if you try to chase Margaret down, you might need to turn on the nitrous bottle. This little naturally aspirated coupe has enough junk in front of the trunk to run 12s in the quarter.

October 2001: Christina

You can take the boy out of 5.0, but you can't take the 5.0 out of the boy. Former editor Rob Kinnan, now manning the keyboard at ProMedia Publishing's NMRA Race Pages and Fastest Street Car mags, was kind enough to send us this photo of his bikini-clad new wife, Christina, straight from their honeymoon in Jamaica. (Congratulations to the Kinnans!) Since she was stuck on an island with Rob, Christina obviously had to bring something to read, and what better than a smokin' issue of 5.0 Mustang & Super Fords. Way to go, Christina. As for Rob, rumor has it he's turning his daily driver into a Real Street car to clash with our Project Real Street. It's a good thing Christina is reading 5.0&SF so she can give him some tips.

November 2001: Juan's Girl

Juan Moya of San Jose, California, wrote that his girl went out and bought a Stratus without asking him, but she agreed to trade it in for an '01 Mustang Cobra if her picture appeared in Babe of the Month. It's certainly hard to turn down a man in need, and it didn't hurt that Juan's girl apparently wouldn't mind trading in her dress for something a little less restrictive. Speaking of restrictions, Juan has removed several of them from his '96 Mustang Cobra (yeah, the white car in the background!). In the seven months he has owned it, Juan has already added a March ram-air kit, underdrive pulleys, a Pro-5.0 shifter, and Flowmaster mufflers. Next on the list is an X-pipe for Juan's car and a '01 Cobra for his girlfriend. Maybe she should get a convertible so she can ride around topless all the time.

Just when we thought it wasn't safe to look in the BOTM file again, Cristye Butler of Columbus, Ohio, came to the rescue. Now that you know her name and location, you've probably stopped reading this caption, haven't you? Cristye is not only smokin' hot, but she's hot for Mustangs too. Dream come true, right? Yep, this '98 GT is hers, and she likes modifying it. So far it has received 18x9 Cobra R wheels, Eibach springs, a billet grille, a Cobra grille insert, clear side-marker lenses, Euro taillights, custom floormats, and the kind of loving caress our Mustangs can only dream about. Not content with simply looking good "really good" Cristye plans to add more power courtesy of underdrive pulleys, a throttle body, a high-flow H-pipe, and a Flowmaster exhaust. Sounds like a great plan, Cristye there's just one problem. Your letter said you sent two photos and we got only one. If you want to save the 5.0&SF staff from doing oil changes on some Buick Park Avenue in the parking lot until the second photo is found, you better send that other photo so the editor will call off the search.